Monday, August 14, 2006
Emergency contraception is sometimes allowed
Jason at Sirach 40:20 points out the story of a Mennonite doctor refused to prescribe emergency contraception for a Catholic girl who alleged she was raped.
He quotes from the article:
The Pennsylvania Catholic Health Association said the Catholic Church allows emergency contraception in the case of rape if tests for pregnancy and ovulation are negative.
And then goes on to respond:
To me this sounds like a complete crock. Besides the fact that this "Catholic" agency is obviously not in touch with the Church, it is also apparently not in touch with reason either. What exactly would be the point of administering "contraception" (abortafacia) to someone who is neither pregnant nor fertile?
But, it's not a complete crock. The Catholic Church does allow for the use of emergency contraception in the case of rape if ovulation has not already occured. Why? Because the Church does not view rape as a voluntary act of sexual intercourse. Humanae Vitae states, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil." Notice that the prohibition of contraception is for the "conjugal act". Rape involves sex, but it is not the "conjugal act." It is an act of violence which cannot, by its very nature, include the mutual self-donation of the conjugal act that is necessarily open to life. Therefore, the Church allows the use of emergency contraception to prevent ovulation in the case of rape.
If, however, tests show that ovulation or pregnancy has already occured, emergency contraception cannot be administered because it would then act as an abortifacient. A human life is a human life, no matter how it came into existence and must always be treated with dignity.
He quotes from the article:
The Pennsylvania Catholic Health Association said the Catholic Church allows emergency contraception in the case of rape if tests for pregnancy and ovulation are negative.
And then goes on to respond:
To me this sounds like a complete crock. Besides the fact that this "Catholic" agency is obviously not in touch with the Church, it is also apparently not in touch with reason either. What exactly would be the point of administering "contraception" (abortafacia) to someone who is neither pregnant nor fertile?
But, it's not a complete crock. The Catholic Church does allow for the use of emergency contraception in the case of rape if ovulation has not already occured. Why? Because the Church does not view rape as a voluntary act of sexual intercourse. Humanae Vitae states, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil." Notice that the prohibition of contraception is for the "conjugal act". Rape involves sex, but it is not the "conjugal act." It is an act of violence which cannot, by its very nature, include the mutual self-donation of the conjugal act that is necessarily open to life. Therefore, the Church allows the use of emergency contraception to prevent ovulation in the case of rape.
If, however, tests show that ovulation or pregnancy has already occured, emergency contraception cannot be administered because it would then act as an abortifacient. A human life is a human life, no matter how it came into existence and must always be treated with dignity.
